Like I have mentioned before I do lament over my lost aviation dream but not as much as if I had stayed in. If I do go back it will be as a retired hobby type of job. I hope in the future they offer greater benefits and easier schedules in trade for postman wages.

People still fly planes but the dream of being an airline pilot God is long gone.

SkyHigh

 

yeah, i bet those grapes were SOUR!

 

Soloed at 16. Listened to all the nay sayer's who said I would have to be a military pilot to make it to the majors.

Got my Private at 29. Scraped together the money just before I got married and finished it. Continued to listen to the nay sayer's (including the first wife) who said you will never make it to the majors.

Got my instrument rating at 37. First wife couldn't support the idea of becoming an airline pilot and left. (ok, it was more complicated than that, but...)

Got my commercial license at 39. Still in Silicone Valley chasing the Dot Com dream. If the stock options work out, I'm buying the PC-12.

That imploded in May 2001. Third layoff in ten years. Took the package and said "I'm not listening to the nay sayer's anymore".

Got my multi rating in August 2001.

September 2001. Three days after 9/11 at age 40 I announced to the family/friends I was "going to be an airline pilot". Imagine how that went over (met a great gal who has been an absolute trooper through the whole thing).

Moved east.

By July 2002 finished the CFI, CFII, MEI. Worked as an instructor for 20 months.

March 2004. Hired at a turboprop regional.

May 2005. Upgraded to Captain.

January 2007. Just under three years at the regional and four and a half years from the CFI certificate - started at CAL. Age 45, no college degree (two years of college credit), no military, all turboprop time.

I respect Skyhigh's right to express his opinion. It's good to have all sides of the story presented. Could I still experience a furlough or loss of job, sure. But if I still continued to listened to all the people who said, "you're too old, you don't have a degree, you aren't military, you don't have enough time, there are thousands of pilots for each job"...and on and on like I had for the first twenty years of my adult life, I'd still be staring at the B737 flight deck photo on my computer screen saver instead of flying the line.

This is still the greatest job in the world.

 

This Awesome. More power to ya Bro.

 

"no college degree"

I would have said "forget it".

Nice job.

 

It is better to be lucky than good. No one would have given you much of a chance. They should make a Disney movie about you. I'll bet your story will sell another 25 commercial pilots licenses.

In aviation it is easy to grab on to a good story. Mine and the thousands like it are much less fun. No one likes to much reality.

Enjoy it. I hope it works out for you.


SkyHigh

 

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat"
-Teddy Roosevelt

 

My college football coach read us that qoute before everyone of our football games, it was an attempt to boost our spirits over our 1-9 record

 

I hope it works out for me too.

Again I respect your opinion and experience. Please don't take this wrong. But since my start date there are another 212 pilots behind me on the senority list that I guess must be "better to be lucky than good."

 

Yah fer sure. Sky, you need to get back in. Do the construction thiong on the side, now that it's up and running. You can have both.